1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to mounting brackets for equipment racks, and more specifically, to a resiliently biased bracket assembly having a “tool-less” attachment and removal feature, i.e., one which can be attached to and removed from an equipment rack without the use of tools or implements.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional equipment racks for holding, e.g., computer or telecommunication equipments, typically employ an arrangement of vertical rails, usually one in each interior corner thereof. The racks usually include several shelves that are slidably mounted in a pair of opposing slide tracks, each of which, in turn, is attached to a front and a rear rail on a respective side of the rack by means of a mounting bracket.
One drawback of conventional mounting brackets is that their attachment to, and removal from, an equipment rack rail requires the use of one or more tools. For example, when a mounting bracket is to be attached to a rail, a tool, such as a screwdriver or a wrench, is needed to tighten a screw or bolt installed through the bracket into a threaded receptacle attached to the rail. The need to use a tool is inconvenient, burdensome, and time-consuming. In addition, once the mounting bracket is secured to the rail, removal or adjustment of the bracket also requires the use of tools to remove and re-attach the bracket to the rail.
A need therefore exists for a bracket that can be attached to and removed from a rail without the use of tools, and preferably, using only one hand.